Rescue a Butterfly - Help Save Our Planet - with love.
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Our Mission:
Butterrly Tours + Experiences A typical morning: at the butterfly sanctuary consists of planning, observations, cleaning then watering onto planting and weeding….. We are always taking note of the overall health of nature, butterfly and insect populations as the fluctuations in numbers effects the bird population. This is the third season for this garden and the changes in wildlife populations is truly notable. With the introduction of planted food sources and in some cases just allowing the plants already on site to grow to their full size has made a remarkable difference in butterfly populations. The Pelee Island butterfly sanctuary and learning garden is a not-for-profit organization on Pelee Island Ontario. Learn what foods they eat, what lawn chemicals people use that are deadly to butterflies, what predators they need to be aware of, and how you can be a caring, loving steward for these pollinators that are essential to most of our food supply. Learn how these amazing insects travel through Pelee Island route, 3,000 miles to Mexico to breed every winter. We offer multiple small group or private tours with up-close hands-on explorations for visitors of all ages. |
Hi, I'm Cherie and I am on a 'butterfly' journey!
Cherie Dillen is pictured with a pair of Monarch butterflies clinging to her at her home in Photo Credit: Windsor Star: Lasalle, Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018. PHOTO BY DAX MELMER /Windsor Star
This is a very reflective post...a long post but a glimpse into reality... (Facebook, April 21,2023)
On this day it is the eve of the two year anniversary of this garden Pelee Island Butterfly Sanctuary and Teaching Garden. This garden was created as a response to the pandemic, forced change in my personal life..and my desperate desire to save the butterflies as my love for them had brought me through a rough childhood.
I bring you back 48 years and I would sit in the field of my grade school fascinated with butterflies...Curious about how they lived...fascinated by their freedom and lightness...
As an adult I would build gardens for them and hope and pray they would appear. With each new house there became less and less until there were years where I'd only see 2 butterflies in my travels on my annual birthday butterfly count . I started teaching people about the plight of butterflies...it became my mission to save them...but I needed help...
For many years I quietly listened to people's comments about seeing butterflies..some would comment that they noticed more butterflies because of my garden. Then after some years I outwardly tried to educate people to help the butterflies.Things were going well and summertime became a flurry of activity... then the pandemic struck...
The first summer was OK because I used the quiet time to discover "new to me" butterflies. I knew they existed but not all the details about them. Then winter came and fear set in...too much had changed...I had changed, panic was a constant...
So this is the part of the story that is magical...I get signs that are from my guardian angels...I sat watching a YouTube video...it was a doctor interviewing Matthew McConaughey about his book Greenlights. At the start of the video I went up stairs to the window to pet my cat...it was a strange time...no cars on the road as we were in lock down...no people...such quiet...the saying silence is deafening...came to mind.
I went back downstairs watched the video with strange importance...I did not know this man but the book Greenlights just spoke to me...to my situation...somehow to my fears of my butterfly mission being in danger!!! By the end of this video I had to take action!!! But what? How? Where? So many questions....
So I went back upstairs, back to my cat, back to the calmness that pets can bring.... As I'm petting him something had changed...as I look outside during the time I watched the video the streets had not been silent! There had been a person...I could not believe that a person had come to the mailboxes and had ripped the cover off their door! I was frustrated..."who would fix it?" "It was lock down!!" gurrr....one more thing out of place in my mind...one more thing...
The next day I looked out in hopes it was gone..it wasn't... My mind had more questions than answers...I couldn't fix the mailbox, my butterflies were in danger...one more issue
The next day with glasses on I looked out the window as I petted the cat, the mailbox cover now looked more like a book...Even worse now a book was outside! I wasn't going to touch it!! It was a pandemic...gurrr
On the fourth day my friend randomly called me to inform me "rain was coming!" A strange occurrence for February. "If I had something outside I didn't want to get wet I should bring it in".
"It's a pandemic" I said with a bitter tone to my voice! "I have not left the house in months! What could be outside?". I think he must have wondered wait I was thinking being so touchy. With that we got off the phone...
"OH my God the book!"...I thought... "The book with cooties"...it's still a book and I have to retrieve it even though it's been out there for days....
I muster up the courage to get it...armed with gloves and a plan I creep outside. I had become out of sorts with the pandemic and the strangeness of life...
Walking quickly I go to the mailbox and reach up for the book...my heart is racing...it's dark outside...
I grab the book and as I turn the streetlight glow lights up the book......GREENLIGHTS!!! I nearly fainted... This book appeared AS I was watching the video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My guardian angels are efficient but this was a whole new level of angel efficiency...I banished the book to quarantine for three weeks in the car...lol. But this moment helped me to be more open to the possibility of saving my butterfly project....This moment gave me faith that angels were around me to help...I still have dark days, dark moments, massive questions but I try to remember that moment that I was given hope that everything would be OK...and the butterfly garden was born...
It would be that one month later a property was found and over the course of time I would be given more signs to keep breathing and move forward. I still don't have it all figured out...the building and financing help to build the garden is epically tricky but each day I dig deep and have faith.... Follow my journey here... If you want to hear more about this journey let me know... If you want to help either by volunteering or by donating so I can find help the GofundMe is here. https://gofund.me/e8d27f3e
On this day it is the eve of the two year anniversary of this garden Pelee Island Butterfly Sanctuary and Teaching Garden. This garden was created as a response to the pandemic, forced change in my personal life..and my desperate desire to save the butterflies as my love for them had brought me through a rough childhood.
I bring you back 48 years and I would sit in the field of my grade school fascinated with butterflies...Curious about how they lived...fascinated by their freedom and lightness...
As an adult I would build gardens for them and hope and pray they would appear. With each new house there became less and less until there were years where I'd only see 2 butterflies in my travels on my annual birthday butterfly count . I started teaching people about the plight of butterflies...it became my mission to save them...but I needed help...
For many years I quietly listened to people's comments about seeing butterflies..some would comment that they noticed more butterflies because of my garden. Then after some years I outwardly tried to educate people to help the butterflies.Things were going well and summertime became a flurry of activity... then the pandemic struck...
The first summer was OK because I used the quiet time to discover "new to me" butterflies. I knew they existed but not all the details about them. Then winter came and fear set in...too much had changed...I had changed, panic was a constant...
So this is the part of the story that is magical...I get signs that are from my guardian angels...I sat watching a YouTube video...it was a doctor interviewing Matthew McConaughey about his book Greenlights. At the start of the video I went up stairs to the window to pet my cat...it was a strange time...no cars on the road as we were in lock down...no people...such quiet...the saying silence is deafening...came to mind.
I went back downstairs watched the video with strange importance...I did not know this man but the book Greenlights just spoke to me...to my situation...somehow to my fears of my butterfly mission being in danger!!! By the end of this video I had to take action!!! But what? How? Where? So many questions....
So I went back upstairs, back to my cat, back to the calmness that pets can bring.... As I'm petting him something had changed...as I look outside during the time I watched the video the streets had not been silent! There had been a person...I could not believe that a person had come to the mailboxes and had ripped the cover off their door! I was frustrated..."who would fix it?" "It was lock down!!" gurrr....one more thing out of place in my mind...one more thing...
The next day I looked out in hopes it was gone..it wasn't... My mind had more questions than answers...I couldn't fix the mailbox, my butterflies were in danger...one more issue
The next day with glasses on I looked out the window as I petted the cat, the mailbox cover now looked more like a book...Even worse now a book was outside! I wasn't going to touch it!! It was a pandemic...gurrr
On the fourth day my friend randomly called me to inform me "rain was coming!" A strange occurrence for February. "If I had something outside I didn't want to get wet I should bring it in".
"It's a pandemic" I said with a bitter tone to my voice! "I have not left the house in months! What could be outside?". I think he must have wondered wait I was thinking being so touchy. With that we got off the phone...
"OH my God the book!"...I thought... "The book with cooties"...it's still a book and I have to retrieve it even though it's been out there for days....
I muster up the courage to get it...armed with gloves and a plan I creep outside. I had become out of sorts with the pandemic and the strangeness of life...
Walking quickly I go to the mailbox and reach up for the book...my heart is racing...it's dark outside...
I grab the book and as I turn the streetlight glow lights up the book......GREENLIGHTS!!! I nearly fainted... This book appeared AS I was watching the video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My guardian angels are efficient but this was a whole new level of angel efficiency...I banished the book to quarantine for three weeks in the car...lol. But this moment helped me to be more open to the possibility of saving my butterfly project....This moment gave me faith that angels were around me to help...I still have dark days, dark moments, massive questions but I try to remember that moment that I was given hope that everything would be OK...and the butterfly garden was born...
It would be that one month later a property was found and over the course of time I would be given more signs to keep breathing and move forward. I still don't have it all figured out...the building and financing help to build the garden is epically tricky but each day I dig deep and have faith.... Follow my journey here... If you want to hear more about this journey let me know... If you want to help either by volunteering or by donating so I can find help the GofundMe is here. https://gofund.me/e8d27f3e
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